Stay
by snapesgirl21
Summary: In Notorious Nineteen, Ranger asked Stephanie if she wanted him to stay at her apartment the night before his friend's wedding. What would have unfolded had she said yes?
1. Chapter 1

**Chapter 1**

A/N: Inspired by the song "Stay" by Rihanna. This takes place in Notorious Nineteen when Ranger takes Stephanie back to her apartment after his friend's rehearsal dinner.

_**Excerpt from Notorious Nineteen:**_

"_**Are you sure you don't want me to stay?"**_

_**I hesitated for a beat. "I'm sure."**_

_**He traced a line down the side of my face with his fingertip. "Would you like me to change your mind?"**_

My heart was telling to say yes, my body was screaming _hell yes_, and even that little voice in my mind that usually reminded me of Morelli was saying _go for it girl. _Nothing in my body, mind or heart was telling me to refuse his offer to change my mind. Besides, he might not be able to do it.

Yeah, right.

"You can try," I teased, trying to appear nonchalant. In reality, I was trying not to collapse from the look of desire that had crossed Ranger's face as a small smile appeared on his lips.

He slowly slid one arm around my waist and pulled me into him while he cradled my head with the other hand. He lowered his mouth to mine and kissed me with a tenderness that I'd never before experienced. Ranger was vastly different from Morelli in the sexual department. Both were great in bed, but Ranger's touch was gentle and meaningful whereas Morelli's was playful and lust-filled. Ranger _made love_ while Morelli _fucked_.

I deepened the kiss as he navigated us towards my bedroom. I could feel his erection digging into my stomach and it seemed as though my body temperature had risen a couple of degrees from the contact. Once we reached my bedroom, I immediately moved to unbutton his jacket. Before I pushed it off of his shoulders, he reached in the pocket, pulled out two condoms and threw them on the night stand before the jacket hit the floor. My fingers couldn't move fast enough as I worked on his shirt, and the only thought that kept me from just ripping his shirt open was the knowledge that he'd have to wear the same shirt home and I didn't have the supplies necessary to sew the buttons back on.

It only took a minute for the rest of his clothes, and all of mine, to end up in a pile on the floor. Ranger spent the next ten minutes exploring every part of my body with his tongue and his hands, and by the time he entered me, I had already had one orgasm and was well on my way to a second. Any thought of Morelli, Orin Carr, Geoffrey Cubbin, the Clinic, or anything else was gone in that moment because the only thing I could focus on was the feeling of Ranger on top of and inside me. The feelings, both physical and emotional, were beyond words. During our normal interactions, I could keep my emotional connection to him in check because I would remember that I was in a semi-serious relationship with Morelli and that Ranger had always said his life didn't lend itself to relationships. But whenever we were intimate, it was impossible to remember either of those things. The gentleness and obvious affection with which Ranger touched me made me wonder if he really meant what he had said in the past. His expressions and his words told me how at peace he felt when he was moving over me, and I couldn't understand why he wouldn't open himself up to a life with me.

I fell asleep in Ranger's arms afterwards and didn't move from that spot until a knock at my apartment door woke us the next morning. Ranger climbed out of bed, pulled on his pants, grabbed his gun and went into the living room. I heard the door open and shut again a few seconds later. Since there hadn't been any yells or gunshots, I thought it was safe to assume that Orin Carr hadn't been in the hall. Ranger came back in the bedroom a couple of minutes later carrying a duffle bag in one hand and a garment bag in the other. He laid the garment bag over the back of the chair in the corner of my room and set the duffle bag down next to it.

"What is all of that?"

"I had Lester bring everything I need to get ready for the wedding so that I don't have to leave you alone."

I climbed out of bed, stretched and headed towards the kitchen. "I doubt Orin is going to come after me. I told you, I don't think I'm his number one target. I don't even think I'm number two."

"I disagree," Ranger replied, following me through the apartment. "I think you and Amanda are his number one targets, and he won't come after Kinsey or me until he's gotten to you two."

"Why? We don't know him. We don't even know why he's after you and Kinsey, let alone what we've could have done to him."

Ranger leaned against the counter and watched me while I got coffee started. He didn't say anything until my attention was off of the machine and back onto him.

"Orin may be a munitions expert, but he still received the same kind of psychological training that Kinsey and I did. He knows how to read people, determine their motivations, and find their weaknesses. He has undoubtedly been watching us for a while and knows that to hurt you would be more painful for me that any form of torture, and that the same would hold true for Amanda and Kinsey."

A small lump had formed in my throat as Ranger had been talking. I didn't often consider his motivations for tracking me and giving me cars when mine were destroyed or stolen. I spent most of the time trying to ignore my feelings for Ranger, and in turn it seemed I had also been trying to ignore his feelings for me. I had tried to tell myself that I was just an amusement for him as a friend, but the reality was that we were in love with each other. I'd already seen Ranger near death once when he'd been shot by Edward Scrog. I could only imagine the emotions that would be running through him if the positions were reversed.

"Do you think he'll try something at the wedding today?" I asked, trying to keep my voice even.

"I think he's more likely to try something before the wedding, but I wouldn't put it past him to try something at the church or during the reception. The wedding party is meeting at the church at one to start getting ready, so I'll be with you until then. Hal and Ramon will be staying with you as much as possible during the day. I'll be with Kinsey, and we'll have Tank and Bobby with us."

I didn't say anything until after the coffee finished brewing and I had poured us both a cup. "What will happen if he doesn't accomplish what he wants before Kinsey and Amanda leave on their honeymoon? They're going to Paris, right?"

"Kinsey said they won't leave for their honeymoon until the threat is removed."

I nodded absentmindedly while I sipped my coffee and leaned against the counter. I was feeling a bit like a sitting duck, since no one knew where Orin was or how he was moving around, and I was worried for Ranger and Kinsey. I wanted to eat a carbohydrate- and sugar-filled breakfast, but didn't imagine Ranger would want me to leave the apartment. I looked out the window in my kitchen down into the parking lot. Ranger's Turbo had been left undisturbed in the lot and there was a Rangeman SUV parked two spaces down from it.

"Who's in the lot?"

"Hal was there until midnight, then Lester took over."

Ranger finished his coffee and put the mug in the sink. "I'm going to take a shower, and then we can start discussing the agenda for the wedding and reception and the contingency plans if Orin should make his move today."

While Ranger headed to the shower, I started scouring the kitchen to see what I could pull together for breakfast. There wasn't much in my refrigerator and what was there wasn't part of the Ranger diet. I had just pulled my head out of the refrigerator and was returning to the idea of asking Ranger about going out for breakfast when I sensed a presence behind me. I didn't even have the chance to turn around before I felt a stun gun being pressed to the back of my neck and everything went black.

When I regained consciousness, it was to find that I had been propped up against my refrigerator with my hands bound behind me. Orin Carr was sitting on a dining room chair in the middle of the kitchen, dressed in army fatigues with guns, ammo, grenades, and other explosives attached his body. He was barely recognizable through the scarring on his face. To my left, I could see Ranger sitting on the other dining room chair. He was unconscious and had been bound to the chair by copious amounts of duct tape. A laptop was open on the kitchen counter and I could see what looked like surveillance camera footage. It took me a few seconds to realize that the room on the screen was my bedroom and that the footage must have been recorded during the night, as Ranger was lying in the bed next to me. The video was playing and I could tell that Ranger had been watching me sleep while stroking my hair. It made me feel sick to realize that someone had been spying on me in the privacy of my own home, and to make matters worse, it had been done when I was in bed with someone.

I heard noise next to me and realized Ranger was regaining consciousness. He took a few seconds to come around, but his gaze immediately fell on me before moving to Orin, who had been watching us intently with a lighter in his hand.

"Do you remember what I used to say about fire?" Orin asked Ranger softly, his voice sounding detached and cold. He had pale blue eyes that were boring into Ranger's dark brown ones.

"That it was the great purifier," Ranger replied, and his expression was deadly calm, which was the sure sign of his anger.

"Yes, because the excruciating pain as your flesh burns away from your body is what cleanses your soul before you die. You and Kinsey need to be cleansed, as do the women you both contaminated."

Ranger studied Orin for a minute before he spoke again. "Why?"

"You manipulated Kinsey, and you both left the unit. You broke up our brotherhood and the divine protection we had when we were together. I was sent to Afghanistan, nearly died in an attack, and was held prisoner for years until I managed to escape. While I was being held, I knew what I needed to do once I could get away. I knew I had to cleanse you and Kinsey before I could completely die."

The calmness in Orin's tone and demeanor scared the hell out of me. He was truly insane, and had nothing to live for except his desire to exact revenge.

"You can have me, but let Stephanie go," Ranger replied. "She hasn't done anything to you."

"It's what you've done to her that means I can't let her go. You've ruined her. I have proof," Orin said, gesturing towards the computer.

"Are you planning to cleanse every woman that Kinsey or I have ever slept with? That's a long list."

"The contamination isn't physical, but spiritual. By loving her and making her love you, you've contaminated her soul with the decay from yours."

"I can tell you that Stephanie's soul hasn't been tarnished by mine. I've made sure of that," Ranger said sincerely. "Why do you assume that we're in love with each other? "

"Are you denying that you're in love with her?"

Ranger locked eyes with me and I wondered what he would say. I doubted that Orin would let me go even if Ranger said no, so I figured whatever he would say would be the truth. He wouldn't want to lie in case one or both of us didn't make it through the encounter.

"No, I'm not denying it. But I'm not going to assume that she's in love with me, and you shouldn't either," Ranger answered resolutely. "She has a boyfriend. She loves him."

Orin snorted. "I know about the cop. I've seen her with him too, but it's different. She would do anything for you." He turned to look at me. "Do you deny that you are in love with him?"

Ranger and I hadn't stopped looking at each other, so I continued to hold his gaze as I spoke.

"No, I don't."

Something passed across Ranger's face that I couldn't quite decipher. Had he really not know for all of these years that I'd been in love with him? I guess I'd never actually said the words to him, but had my feelings not been evident? He'd always been able to read me and see the truth, no matter how much I tried to hide it.

The silence of the kitchen was disrupted by a knock at my door.

"I hate disruptions," Orin said, putting away his lighter and pulling his gun. "Get up and tell whoever it is to go away."

I was dragged up to a standing position and hauled through the kitchen and living room to the front door. Orin looked through the peephole to see who was standing in the hall.

"Get rid of him," he said quickly. "If you try to ask for help, I'll shoot you."

I looked through the peephole to see who it was and saw Brody Logan.

"Go away, Brody," I said.

"No, I want Tiki. He's freaked out."

"You can't have him right now. He isn't here," I said, desperate for either Brody to go away or for something to happen that would stop Orin.

"Tell me where he is," Brody demanded. "I have to get him."

"He's at my boyfriend's house. You'll have to go over there. He lives at—,"

Orin pulled me away from the door, unlocked it and wrenched it open. He grabbed Brody by the front of his shirt, dragged him in the apartment and shut the door. Brody was thrown to the ground next to me and before either of us could respond in any way, Orin pulled out his gun and shot Brody twice in the chest. I felt horrible for Brody, who had just wanted to find his tiki, but I hoped that the gun shots would alert my neighbors to the need to call the police. It took a few seconds for my horrified brain to process the fact that there was a silencer on the end of the gun, which meant my neighbors wouldn't have heard anything. No police would be coming our way.

But what about Lester? Wasn't he supposed to be down in the lot?

Orin lifted me to my feet and walked me back to the kitchen, not giving Brody's body a second glance. Ranger had clearly been trying to figure out what was going on and looked relieved to see that I was still alive. I assumed that I would put seated back on the floor, but instead I was shoved up against the refrigerator.

"I'm done talking," he said quietly. "It's time for you to start burning."

I couldn't help but scream when I saw him ignite the lighter. He pulled me a little ways away from the refrigerator and set fire to my ponytail. I could feel the flames licking my neck and I was continuing to scream and struggle to get away from Orin while trying to not set my shirt on fire. I was so caught up in my struggle that I didn't register what happened next. Orin had suddenly let go of me and I was dragged over to the kitchen sink, where I heard water start running and felt instant relief as the flames were extinguished. Orin reappeared in my peripheral vision and he had his gun drawn. Before he could fire a shot, I saw Ranger tackle him. I struggled to stand upright again and saw Ranger punching Orin in the face as he fought to get the gun. I had no clue how to help Ranger when my hands were taped behind my back, so I did the best thing I could do. I ran over to Orin and kicked him in the face, stunning him enough to allow Ranger to disarm him. Ranger pointed the gun at Orin, who had reached for a grenade on his belt, and fired before Orin could do more than touch it. A blood oozed from the hole that was now in the middle of Orin's forehead. Ranger's breathing was heavy as he put the gun down on the counter.

"Good job, babe. Are you okay?"

I nodded. "M-m-my neck is a l-little burned, but yes."

He reached for a knife that was laying on the ground and used it to cut the tape from my wrists. It wasn't until my hands were free that I realized I was trembling. Ranger found his cell phone on the counter and called 911, then Lester, who was groggy and said he thought he'd been drugged in some way. He didn't bother calling Rangeman, since they'd be on their way once they heard the police scanner go out about coming to my apartment.

Once he was off the phone, Ranger wrapped his arms around me and rested his face on top of my head.

"Are you sure you're all right?"

I nodded. "How did he get you?"

"Ambushed me when I was coming out of the bathroom."

I straightened up and took a few deep breaths. "How did you get out of the tape?"

"There was a knife on the counter. He got sloppy and didn't clear things nearby. He assumed his tape would be enough to keep me from moving. I cut myself out while you were trying to get Brody to go away."

I shook my head. "Poor Brody."

We heard the sounds of sirens in the lot, so we opened the door to the apartment and stood just outside so that police and EMTs would be able to get through more easily. Morelli arrived about five minutes after the initial group of first responders. He pulled me into a hug and held me so tight I almost couldn't breathe.

"Are you okay?" he asked, pulling away to look me over.

I nodded. "Just some scorched hair and minor burns on my neck. I'll ask one of the EMTs for some salve after they get done with the guys in there."

Morelli gave Ranger a once-over before he went into the apartment to talk to some of the police. I could see the flashes from police cameras and could hear a low level of chatter. Ranger nudged me away from the door to the other side of the hall after a couple of minutes.

"Are you prepared for what's going to happen when Morelli hears about what Orin recorded last night?" he asked, his expression serious.

My stomach did a flip and my knees started to shake. I hadn't even thought about that. Even though Morelli likely wouldn't be on the case officially, word would get out that there was footage of me having sex with Ranger. It would be embarrassing for all of us, and damaging to my relationship with Morelli. The Hawaii incident had put us in a bad place and I'd been amazed when we'd been able to work through it. I saw Robin Russell come out of the apartment with a box of evidence bags. Orin's laptop was visible in one of the larger bags. She caught my eye and walked over to me.

"Morelli hasn't seen what is on the computer," she whispered. "And I'll do my best to keep him from seeing it."

I nodded my thanks as she continued down the hall towards the open elevator. It bought me time, but it didn't spare me the conversation that would ultimately have to happen. A detective took Ranger down the hall to start getting his statement while I continued to wait just outside my door. Morelli came out of my apartment a few minutes later with my purse, a pair of shoes and Rex's hamster cage. The expression on his face told me that he knew something, but to what extent I didn't know. I put my shoes on, took my bag and Rex's cage and followed Morelli silently down the hall. Ranger caught my eye and I knew he could tell from the expression on my face that things weren't good. Morelli didn't look at me or say a word until we were in the parking lot. He reached in his pocket and pulled out the two empty condom wrappers that Ranger and I had used the night before. He slammed them down on the trunk of my car and finally met my eye. I opened my mouth to speak, but stumbled to find the right words.

"You can't say they're mine. I don't use Magnums. My dick isn't big enough to need them," Morelli said coldly. He shook his head and looked out over the lot. "Do you have any idea what it is like to find another man's condoms in my girlfriend's trash? It's bad enough that I know you two had sex in Hawaii, but again? Really?"

I felt tears burn my eyes. They were tears of guilt and confusion. I loved both of these men, and while I knew in my brain it was wrong to be with Ranger when I was in a relationship to Joe, my heart told me otherwise.

"I'm sorry, Joe."

"I've had my suspicions before, but I never had proof. I didn't want to believe that you could do this to me. How many other times have you been with him?"

Did he mean actual number of sexual encounters or time-frames? I didn't want to say the wrong thing and hurt him even more.

"Fine, since you won't talk, I'll run through my list and you can tell me if I'm right," Morelli began. "The first time I suspected it was when Abruzzi was after you."

I nodded. "Yes, but you and I had broken up then."

"I know, so I can't count that against you, even though I hate it," he replied, counting off on his fingers. "The next time was when you were staying in his apartment when that gang was after you."

I shook my head. "No, we didn't have sex. I just stayed at his apartment." I failed to mention that we'd slept in the same bed.

"At least I'm wrong about one time," Morelli shot back. "Next was when he stayed in your apartment after his daughter had been kidnapped."

"We didn't have sex then either," I said, knowing that my tone was off.

Morelli snorted. "I'm sensing a _but_ in there somewhere."

"We almost did," I admitted. "We got close, but—but you interrupted us."

Morelli froze. "When was it?"

I blew out a sigh, knowing that he wasn't going to let go of this line of questioning. "It was the day you said you were moving in. Ranger heard you unlocking the door and then the chain caught. That's why it took me so long to get to the door."

Anguish crossed Morelli's face. "What were you doing?"

"What?"

"What were you doing when I got there? Were you blowing him?"

I shook my head. "No."

"Was he going down on you?"

I answered by looking down at my shoes. Morelli responded with a noise of disgust.

"Were there any other times?" he asked after a minute of silence.

I met Morelli's gaze and knew that I was in a moment where my true nature was going to be tested. I could attempt to justify to myself that the vordo situation and the romp in Joyce Barnhardt's closet were close enough to the Hawaii situation to be lumped in with it and ignored, or I could be upfront with him about them, especially because there was a day where I'd had sex with both Morelli _and _Ranger during the vordo incident. Not that I wanted to share that particular tidbit if I could avoid it, but I ultimately had to decide what kind of person I was going to be: honest or self-preserving.

"We slept together a week or so before I left for Hawaii, and then once right after we got back," I admitted, feeling as though a weight had been lifted from my shoulders. I was going to have to face the consequences of that confession, but I thought I'd be able to live with myself a little easier than if I had lied.

The look of betrayal on Morelli's face made my heart break. As far as I knew, he'd never been with anyone else while we had been actively together. I had never known for sure about times when we'd been on a break, as neither of us had really wanted to divulge that kind of information.

"In the four years that we've been in this off-and-on relationship, I've never been with anyone else," Morelli said quietly. "Not even when we were hating each other, but now I have to find out that all but one of the times that you've been with Ranger have been _while_ we were together." He shook his head in disbelief and stared towards the back entrance to my apartment, where EMTs were bringing out one of the bodies in a black bag. After a moment, he pulled his keys out of his pocket and worked to remove one before putting it down on the trunk of my car.

"I want my house key back. I'm done," he said.

Tears pricked my eyes at the realization of what had transpired. I pulled out my key chain and removed his house key and handed it to him. "I'm sorry, Joe. I really am."

Morelli assessed me for a moment before shaking his head. "No, you're not. Not really. You love him too, probably more than me. You're just sorry you got caught."

He turned on his heel and walked down to his car, where he climbed in without another word. I stood by and watched as he pulled out of the lot, trying to figure out what I was feeling. Guilt from hurting Morelli and being unfaithful, even if the status of the relationship was questionable. Shock and horror from the events that had occurred earlier. What was more surprising was the sense of relief and what brought it about. It wasn't just the relief of not keeping it quiet that I'd slept with Ranger while in a relationship with Morelli, but that Morelli had been the one to bring a permanent end to our rollercoaster relationship. I hadn't had to make an actual choice between the two men I loved. It had been made for me, to a degree. My car was blocked in by police cars, so I set Rex down on the trunk, pocketed the key and the condom wrappers, and leaned against it while I tried to figure out my next move. My apartment would undoubtedly be sealed off for a few days while they processed the scene. And it would need to be cleaned before I'd even be back inside, so I would have to crash in my old bedroom at my parents' house until then. I idly wondered about the wedding that was supposed to take place in a few hours and whether I'd still be expected to show up since the threat had been eliminated. That would be a question for Ranger, who was still inside, so I would have to wait to find out, especially since the maid of honor dress was still in the apartment.

Dealing with what had gone down with Ranger in the past twelve hours was another issue that had to be handled. We had both admitted to being in love with the other. In the past, Ranger had always said he loved me 'in his own way', and I'd never admitted to anything. I knew the end of my relationship with Morelli would add an unknown element to it all, though I wasn't quite sure how.


	2. Chapter 2

_A/N: This story had an amazing response. Thank you for your kind words. I hope you all continue to enjoy this story as it progresses. _

I wasn't sure how long I'd been standing in the parking lot watching the comings and goings of the police, but it had apparently been a while because when Ranger came out of the apartment carrying his duffle bag and two garment bags, he looked surprised.

"I thought you were going home with Morelli," he said, stopping to standing in front of me. His eyes quickly scanned the lot as I struggled to find the words.

I opened my mouth several times to try to tell him what had happened, but the only thing that happened was that tears filled my eyes and my lip started to quiver. I looked away from Ranger and out over the parking lot, hoping to avoid full-blown sobs in front of the police and my neighbors. He had watched me for a minute before walking over to his car, opening the passenger side door and placing all of the bags in the cargo area of the Turbo. He left the door open and came back to me. He tucked Rex's cage under one arm and guided me over to the open door with the other. Once I was seated in the car, he placed Rex in my lap and shut the door. I bounced one of my legs during the ride to Rangeman in an effort to distract myself from crying. We were silent as we drove through the city, parked in the Rangeman parking garage and made our way up to Ranger's seventh floor apartment. I hadn't looked at Ranger because I knew if I saw the look in his eyes, I'd fall apart. Once inside the apartment, I set Rex's cage down in the kitchen and stood in front of it with my arms resting on the counter.

"Do you want to talk?" Ranger asked as he came up to stand next to me.

I shook my head while I focused on Rex, but my vision became rapidly more blurry with each passing second. I turned around and headed towards the bedroom, avoiding Ranger's gaze as I passed. I didn't want to talk about anything right then. I kicked off my shoes and laid down on his bed. I wanted to sleep and try to forget what had happened for a little while. But I was afraid I wouldn't be able to sleep with the knot that was sitting in my chest. I didn't want to cry because it made me feel like an idiot, but sometimes these things are out of our control. I felt the tears start falling down my cheeks as the sobs shook my body.

After a minute, I felt the bed sink down behind me and a hand started rubbing my arm. The touch was comforting and tender, but made me cry harder. Ranger had been at the center of both of the major problems that I'd had in the last few hours, and I couldn't decide if I was glad of that or angry. On the one hand, had he not been in my apartment I likely would have been killed before someone could have gotten to me. But if he hadn't stayed, his condoms wouldn't have been in my trash can or our actions on video. I wouldn't have felt guilty, and Morelli and I would likely still be together. But was that what I wanted? That I couldn't figure out for sure because I knew that I loved Ranger and deep down I knew that I didn't regret any of the times I'd slept with him, even if it did border on unfaithfulness to Morelli. But was my inability to fully commit to Morelli _really_ all my fault? Did some of the blame lie with Morelli himself, along with Ranger, and possibly even my turd of an ex-husband, Dickie Orr? Or did I just want to have my cake and eat it too? The thought made me cry even more. Ranger didn't say anything as I cried, but continued to rub my arm and placed the occasional kiss in my hair. That was a great thing about him—he didn't mind letting me cry. Morelli would always say or do anything to try to make me stop, but Ranger would let me get the emotions out. He wasn't uncomfortable around tears like most men. He accepted them as a part of life, especially if you loved a woman as prone to mishaps as me. I eventually stopped crying and started to drift off to sleep, but instead of leaving once I'd settled down, Ranger curled an arm around my waist and held me close. When I opened my eyes some time later, it was to find that my head was laying on his chest and he had both arms wrapped around me. It took me a minute to realize that Ranger had been trying to say something.

"What?" I asked, sitting up and stretching.

"I said I called Kinsey and told him we won't be to the church until right before the wedding. Ella's coming up soon to help you with your hair, and I told her that I didn't think you had shoes for your dress, so she was going to go shopping and bring you a couple of options," Ranger said, watching me closely.

"Thanks," I replied. "I wasn't sure if I was still going to be part of the wedding now. Did the old maid of honor not want to take the job back?"

"She said she couldn't lose the weight necessary to fit into the dress."

That made sense. The dress had been enormous on me when I'd tried it on the first time.

"I spoke to the police and they've said they'll officially release your apartment as a crime scene by six tomorrow evening. I have a cleaning crew coming in right after that and then they are coming again the next day. You should be able to go home by Monday night or Tuesday morning. What are your plans in the meantime?"

"I figure I'll stay with my parents," I replied. "Or maybe Connie. She has an extra room and the added bonus of not having to listen to my grandmother and father fight for the bathroom in the mornings."

"I'd like you to stay here for tonight," Ranger said. "We need to talk."

I nodded in agreement. We did need to talk. We had needed to have a talk for four years, but had continued to mostly avoid the subject. Tonight could be the beginning of something new or the end of any involvement with Ranger. I had no idea where his head was, and my head was a jumble of confusion. I knew I wanted him, but wasn't letting myself get too attached to the idea. He'd kept me at arm's length for so long, I didn't know if it would be possible for me to get any closer.

Ella came up at one o'clock and helped trim the burned ends of my hair. She told me she'd cut her sisters' hair for years and clearly all that practice had paid off. My hair looked great by the time she was done. Just as I thought I had one disaster finished, another presented itself. After a shower, I went to try on the dress so that I could figure out which pair of heels I wanted to wear with it when I realized that the bridal salon had taken in the dress too much. It was so tight that my boobs were falling out of the top.

"Crap!" I said, looking in the mirror. "This is what I get for not trying it on there."

Ella came into the dressing room when she heard me. "Is there a problem dear? Oh my…"

"I can barely breathe in this."

"Give to me and I'll see if I can let it out any," Ella said. "There's still plenty of time until you need to leave."

While Ella took the dress down to her apartment to attempt to alter it to not look like I should be working at the Little Whorehouse on the Prairie, I put Ranger's bathrobe back on and tried on the shoes. Ella had bought three pairs of silver heels in various styles. One pair was very cute and something I could wear again, so I left them on so that I could break them in a little and was going to start on my make-up when I realized I didn't have much. I dug through my purse and found some mascara and lip gloss. That would have to do. After a few swipes of each product, I headed out into the apartment and found Ranger on his computer in the den. He smiled when he saw me.

"I have to say that this is a better alternative to that dress," Ranger said. "But I don't know that Amanda will appreciate you wearing white and stealing her thunder."

"Ella's altering my dress," I replied, sitting on the edge of his desk. "It was so tight in the chest that my boobs were falling out."

"Maybe it wasn't such a bad dress after all."

Ella brought my dress back up around two-thirty, just as Ranger was headed into his dressing room to start getting ready. I took the dress and walked into the dressing room, where Ranger was tucking his white shirt into his pants.

"Let's see what magic Ella managed to work," I said, taking off the bathrobe and stepping into the dress. I could tell as I pulled it up that it was a little looser than it had been, but was still tighter than it should be. Ranger came up behind me and zipped the dress. It was still tight across my chest, but my boobs were able to stay contained within the material.

"It's much better," I called to Ella through the door. "Thank you."

"You're welcome, dear," she replied. "Have a good time this evening."

Ranger and I left for the church a little after three and arrived by three-thirty, when both sides of the bridal party were making final checks. I said hello to all of the bridesmaids, Amanda and her mother before collecting my bouquet and doing a last minute hair and make-up check. The wedding began promptly at four and went off without a hitch, unless you counted the fact that Ranger and I couldn't keep our eyes off each other the entire time. I was experiencing some of the same emotions I'd felt during the rehearsal the day before, and there was a tenderness in his eyes when he looked at me that I had only seen when we were in bed together. The tension was so strong that I was sure someone else in the room had to feel it. When I held his arm as we walked down the aisle behind Kinsey and Amanda after the ceremony, I could have sworn I felt a jolt pass through my body. After almost an hour of picture-taking, we moved on to the reception at a swanky banquet hall in Hamilton Township. I'd broken out in a cold sweat on the way to the reception at the idea of having to give the traditional maid of honor toast, considering I barely knew Amanda. Ranger helped alleviate my anxiety by saying that Kinsey and Amanda had opted to have their parents speak instead, since Kinsey had known Ranger wasn't the most verbose person to walk the planet and Amanda had only known me for a week.

There was a meal at the reception consisting of salad, bread, chicken and green beans. I polished mine off quickly since I hadn't eaten all day. After the parents' speeches, Kinsey and Amanda did the obligatory cake-cutting before moving on to their first dance as husband and wife. I watched Kinsey and Amanda as they held each other close and talked while they danced, clearly happy and in love. After a song played where Kinsey danced with his mother and Amanda danced with her father, the dance floor was opened up to everyone else. I noticed a couple of the groomsmen giving me a once-over, but before either could make a move, I felt a hand on my shoulder.

"Let's dance," Ranger said, pulling out my chair so that I could stand.

"I didn't know that you danced," I commented as he guided me to the dance floor. "And I especially didn't think you'd want to be seen with me in this dress."

"I don't care about the dress, and I dance when I need to," he replied, pulling me into his arms as we reached the dance floor.

"I wasn't aware that wedding etiquette required best man to dance."

"He dances if he doesn't want to have to share the maid of honor with anyone else," Ranger said, making me blush slightly.

"I thought you'd be used to sharing me," I said, feeling uncharacteristically bold.

Ranger held my gaze for a minute before speaking. "What's the status of your relationship with Morelli?"

Oh, he wanted to talk about that? _Now_?

"It's over. For good this time," I said quietly.

We didn't talk any more after that, but continued to dance for a while. I saw Amanda and Kinsey dancing nearby and she was watching Ranger and me with interest. When she caught my eye she mouthed _he's so in love with you_. I gave her a non-committal smile and looked away. Ranger was looking down at me with a confused expression.

"What?"

"Want to share with the class?"

"Amanda just said something, but I couldn't quite understand what she was saying."

"Liar," Ranger said. "I'm ready to leave. Let's go say goodbye to Amanda and Kinsey."

He pulled me by the hand over to the couple, where we congratulated them and said goodbye. Neither of us spoke as we drove back towards Rangeman in the dark. I was dying to get out of my dress, but remembered that I didn't have any pajamas at Ranger's apartment. I'd have to ask him for a pair of sweats and a t-shirt, unless he planned on me sleeping _au naturel_.

We didn't speak until we got into the apartment and headed towards his bedroom.

"Do you have something I can sleep in?" I asked. "I don't have anything to wear except this dress and what I was wearing earlier."

Ranger went into the dressing room and opened a drawer in the dresser, where he pulled out an olive drab t-shirt and a pair of black boxers. He handed me the clothes and then went behind me and started unzipping my dress.

"What are your plans for this?" he asked as I shrugged out of the pink taffeta.

"Typically, I'd say I wanted to burn it, but after this morning I don't want to set anything on fire ever again," I answered. "So I'll probably give it to my nieces for dress-up."

After we were both changed, we settled on the sofa in the living room with beers. I knew we needed to talk, but I wasn't sure who was going to start the conversation. Furthermore, I wasn't sure how I wanted things to go. I knew that if Ranger offered me the opportunity to have a relationship with him that I would take it, but wondered if it was smart to do so soon after Morelli. But in the end, I didn't really figure it mattered. I was preparing myself to hear the same old _my life doesn't lend itself to relationships and you don't know everything about me_ speech that I'd heard before. I didn't think Ranger would be the type to change his mind on something like that.

"Tell me about what happened with Morelli after you left your apartment," Ranger began, taking a drag of his beer while he waited for me to respond.

"He found the condom wrappers in my trash can when he went in my room to get my stuff. He confronted me with them and asked me how I could do that to him again. When I couldn't really give him an answer, he started drilling me on how many times we'd slept together. He had several instances where he had suspected, most of which were right. And then I decided not to be a liar and told him about the times before we were in Hawaii and that time right after at Joyce's house. He was hurt, told me he'd never been with anyone else in the four years that we'd been together, even when we'd been broken up, and said that he was done. He gave me back my key and took his from me."

Ranger watched me for a minute. "Do you think it's really over?"

I nodded. "Yeah, it is. And to be honest, I'm a little confused about how I'm feeling about it. I feel guilty to a degree, but there's also some relief in there."

"Relief?"

"That he ended it and not me, though the guilt comes in that it ended because I slept with someone else. But then I don't regret sleeping with you, so I'm not sure that I feel too guilty. And then when I think about what happened with Orin, I'm even more confused about the whole thing."

"What do you want, Stephanie?" he asked, placing his beer on the table.

I held his gaze for a moment, willing myself to say the thing I'd wanted to say to him for the last few years. It wasn't easy to spill to your guts when you knew the response coming your way was going to be disappointing. But we couldn't take back what we'd said in the kitchen. I assumed that this was going to be a crossroads for my relationship with Ranger. He'd shoot me down, and I'd be hurt. But this would have to be the last time. I couldn't put myself through this any longer. I'd tell him the truth, hear his words, and leave. I'd tell him that I needed to move on with my life, so I wanted him to stay away. Please don't rescue me, track me, give me cars, or a job when the skips aren't coming in. I'd say goodbye for the last time and hope that I could stay away.

"I want you," I said simply. "But I know that I can't have you, so you don't have to give me the speech. I know your life doesn't lend itself to relationships, that I don't know all about your past, you have enemies, you work all the time, blah, blah, blah. I'm tired of hearing the excuses."

I could tell Ranger was trying to figure out what to say next, so I continued on with my speech so that we didn't have to drag the situation out any longer.

"I think we've reached a point where we can't keep going like this. If we can't be together, then I can't keep being around you. It's too hard. I need to move on with my life. I don't need to be rescued or tracked. I need to be able to take care of myself. I can't let myself rely on you any longer to protect me, so this needs to be goodbye."

Again, Ranger didn't say anything once I finished talking. He was processing what I was saying, but he also wasn't denying anything. My heart hurt from the weight of the rejection and the other emotions that had been coursing through me all day. I needed a break. I needed a whole box of Tastykakes and a marathon of sappy movies that would give me an excuse to cry. Maybe I needed to move out of state and find a whole new life. Unable to stand the silence any longer, I stood up with the intention of grabbing my stuff and leaving, but Ranger caught my wrist and pulled me back down to the sofa before I could take a step. There were tears in my eyes, but even through them I could see the determined expression on Ranger's face.

"Why didn't you deny it when Orin asked if you were in love with me?" he asked.

"I didn't want one or both of us to die with me having lied about how I felt about you," I replied. "Why didn't you deny it?"

"The same reason, but I'd been hoping that you would say that you weren't."

I took a minute to process that information. "Why? He wouldn't have let me go."

"I knew that. I wanted you to say that you weren't in love with me because I didn't want to go to my grave with the knowledge that you'd felt the same way about me and the regret that I'd never fought for you."

My mouth fell open in shock. Thus far, his response had been _nothing_ like what I'd been expecting.

"Did you really not know? You've always been able to read me so well."

Ranger shrugged. "I'd suspected, but I'd convinced myself that I was wrong. You had Morelli and I knew you loved him. I told myself that you neither needed nor wanted me in that regard, but that I wanted to take whatever little I could get from you to satisfy myself until the day you finally settled down with him. Anytime I sensed you might be interested in more, I gave you—and myself—the whole laundry list of excuses. In reality, those excuses were to protect me, not you. You tend to put yourself in denial about the bad things that happen to you, telling yourself that they weren't that bad and could have been worse. I put myself in denial about the good things, specifically you. I've told myself I didn't deserve to have someone as good as you in my life. I've convinced myself that I would just hurt you, and that's one thing that I've promised myself I would never do."

I hadn't been able to stop the tears that had started falling down my cheeks as Ranger had opened up about his feelings. I couldn't believe this was actually happening— he was saying the things that I'd wanted him to say. At least so far. He hadn't gone to the point of saying he wanted a relationship with me, but was finally acknowledging his feelings.

"What do you want?" I asked, wiping the cheeks.

"I want to stop living in denial. I want you, but there are things we need to talk about before we decide that we really want this," Ranger said, tucking a curl behind my ear. "We need to know what we expect of each other, and whether we can agree to those terms. I'm not Morelli—I won't leave any question as to the status of our relationship."

I nodded in agreement. "You're right."

"What do you expect from me?" he asked. "What do you need from me in a relationship?"

I thought about it for a minute. I knew what he gave me already and what I wanted him to give me, but I also considered what Morelli had given me and what I had wanted from him. The two men were very different from each other in some of those regards.

"First, I want you to let me be me without smothering me. I know you just want to protect me, and that without you watching me, I'd have been dead long ago. But sometimes you're a bit overwhelming. Second, as much as you hate it, I would like you to spend the occasion dinner with my family. If you're serious about being in a relationship with me, then you need to be able to tolerate my family sometimes. They may be crazy, but they're still my family. Third, I want you to talk to me. If it is really none of my business, just say so. I'll hate it, but I'll respect it instead of wondering what you're hiding from me. And finally, I want to get to know the real you. The guy that has made his way from car-stealing thug to Special Forces soldier to successful businessman."

It sounded like a lot of demands when I said them out loud, but just as I knew I needed to be honest with Morelli about my sexual history with Ranger, I knew I needed to be honest about this. I couldn't pretend that something was acceptable when it wasn't. I had to be honest in order to move forward, even if the terms were too much for him and forward meant the end of the friendship.

"I can agree to those terms, but some of my terms coincide with them," he said, settling back on the sofa. "My first expectation is that you care more about your own safety. I'm not expecting you to meet Army standards or even to exercise regularly or eat healthy, but I want you to keep your defensive weapons, including your gun, on your person and ready to go at all times. Even if my enemies aren't after you, you've made plenty of your own. I want you to call me if you are going after someone especially violent instead of using Lula as your back up. Take threats against you seriously, then I won't have to go into overprotective mode and make you feel smothered. My second expectation is that you understand that for the past thirteen years I haven't been accountable to anyone except the United States Army and my business partners, so this will be a big adjustment for me. I've been alone for so long that it will be hard for me to open up and to have someone expecting to know what is going on with my life. My family has known for a long time to respect my privacy, but things can't be that way with us if we are in a relationship. I will work on it, I promise, but I don't want you to think that I don't want this if I don't respond the way you hope I will. My final expectation is that we are in a monogamous relationship. I won't do that vague, open shit Morelli did. I expect complete faithfulness, and I won't forgive an indiscretion. If you cheated, the guy would be dead and we would be over. And because of Morelli, I think that we need to wait to start a relationship between us. I think you need time to get over him and work to change your thinking. I can give you as much or as little space as you need, but I don't want us to pursue a relationship until you're sure you're over him."

I had been listening intently and feeling pretty good about everything Ranger had been saying until right up to the end. By then, I was feeling indignant and insulted.

"Are you saying you can't trust me to be faithful?" I asked shortly.

"No, I'm not saying that. I do trust you. In the four years that you and Morelli have been off and on, there have been very few times that you've actually given in to my advances. I've put them out there far more often than you accepted. But you've been conflicted during those years as well because both Morelli and I have given you inconsistent signals. I kept you at arm's length emotionally while pursuing you physically. Morelli wanted you to be committed while keeping the status of your relationship uncertain. You can't be blamed for not knowing what you wanted or how to handle it all because Morelli and I were screwing with your head and heart."

I finished off my beer while I processed what he had just said. He was saying he trusted me, but that he didn't want to be a rebound guy. He wanted me to be sure it was really over with Morelli and that even if Morelli pursued me, I wouldn't go to him. He wanted our relationship to be the opposite of what it had been with Morelli.

"I understand all of that, and I'm willing to accept those terms," I finally said. "And I think you're right that we should wait. I want to get my feelings for Morelli out of my system, but I also think that we need to not be physical during this time. It makes things hard for me. I can't think clearly, and I want to be sure that I have all of my shit worked out before getting into a relationship with you. I don't want to mess it up."

Ranger smiled slightly. "Well, I won't like not being able to be physical with you, but I understand and can be patient. I'll wait for you to be ready. You just have to say the word, babe."

I smiled and wiped away the few remaining tears on my cheeks. "I can't believe this is really happening. I'm afraid it's all a dream."

"Not a dream, babe," he said, running a finger down my cheek. "This is reality."

I leaned forward and kissed him enough to show him that I loved him and was happy about this, but not to the point of no return. I pulled back and heaved a small sigh. "I should stay with my parents tonight."

"I can control myself. Besides, it's late and you've had a long day. If me holding you while you sleep is too much for you, I'll sleep on the couch," he said. "If you still want to spend tomorrow night with your parents, then you can get over there earlier in the evening."

I thought about it for a beat. "Okay, I'll stay. I think I'll be okay with you holding me while we sleep. It's comforting to be in your arms."

He nodded. "Let's go to bed then."

Even though I was felt safe in Ranger's embrace that night, I still laid awake thinking about everything that had happened. One seemingly small decision had led to life-changing results. It had me in Ranger's arms tonight instead of Morelli's. And I was looking forward to the days when I'd spend most, if not all of my nights in this same place.

"


	3. Chapter 3

_A/N: Thanks for continuing to follow this story. Sorry for the delay. RL got in the way for a bit and my Muse took a short vacation, but she's now back and ready for action._

I woke up on Sunday morning with a knot in my stomach. I didn't move from my spot in the bed for a few moments while my brain fired up and I tried to remember why I felt like crap. Everything that had happened in the previous twenty-four hours came flooding back to me and the knot tightened. I glanced over at the bedside clock and saw that it was almost nine-thirty in the morning. Ranger's side of the bed was empty and the indicator light on my cell phone was blinking frantically. A quick press of the home button showed that I had eighteen missed calls, thirteen voicemails and twenty text messages waiting for my attention. I'd avoided my phone all day on Saturday, not wanting to answer everyone's questions while I was in shock from Orin's attack and the break-up with Morelli, but I knew I couldn't avoid it any longer. It took me half an hour to listen to all of the voicemails and to read and respond to pertinent text messages. After cementing plans to meet Lula and Connie for brunch at ten-thirty, I called my mother to say that I'd be over later to tell her all about what had happened. Her slightly slurred words told me that she'd been hitting the sauce since before she'd left for Mass that morning.

I pulled up at an all-night diner that was located on the edge of the Burg. It wasn't the cleanest establishment in Trenton, but their breakfast menu was worth the risk. I parked next to Connie's Honda and headed inside to the formica countertops and dingy tile floors. Connie and Lula had already scored a table in the corner to allow for as much privacy as the small room could afford. I sat down next to Lula in the seat that kept my back to the wall. It was such a Ranger move that I almost laughed.

"So what the heck is going on?" Lula asked once the server had taken our orders and left.

"What have you heard?"

"First, we heard that the guy who had been after Ranger broke into your apartment, held you and Ranger hostage, and killed Brody Logan before Ranger managed to kill him. Then we heard that you and Morelli had a huge fight in your parking lot afterwards because he found out you'd been sleeping with Ranger and broke up with you," Connie said as she pulled out a flask to add a little something special to our coffees.

"That pretty much covers it," I admitted.

"How long have you and Ranger been doing the nasty?" Lula asked, downing her coffee like it was water and pushing the mug back over to Connie for a refill.

"We haven't _been _doing it; it was just that night."

"But I thought you and Morelli weren't quite exclusive?" Connie asked as she refilled Lula's mug with coffee.

"We were and we weren't. It's always confused me too. I'm fairly certain that what I did with Ranger falls into the cheating category. I feel guilty about it anyway."

We fell silent as Chuck Arden walked into the restaurant. I'd gone to school with Chuck. He had been in the class between Morelli and me, and had joined the police department as soon as they'd take him. We had always been on good terms, but from the look on his face as he glanced in my direction, I was guessing that may no longer be the case. A waitress at the counter handed Chuck a bag and accepted a wad of cash. After he collected his change and gave the waitress a wink, he strode back towards the door, giving me a stiff middle before feigning a cough that sounded a lot like _slut!_

"Who does he think he is calling you a slut?" Lula demanded angrily. "Anyone woman with a pulse would have sex with Ranger if they had the chance. I bet even Mother Teresa would have."

Connie and I made the sign of the cross. "Don't say that—the woman's almost a saint," Connie replied. "But I'd say it about every other woman on the planet."

"It sucks, but I'm going to have to take my licks and try to push forward," I told them. "I knew what I was doing and the minute I saw the computer and realized Orin had recorded all of it that Morelli and the rest of the world would find out. I just hope it dies down soon. My mom will start begging neighbors for liquor and their ironing. I just hope it settles down before she gives herself alcohol poisoning."

We finished our breakfast while Lula filled us in on the new man she was dating. He was a former New York Jets linebacker and sported an enormous appendage that Lula had spent her evening thoroughly enjoying. The discussion made my mind go back to Ranger and the evening we'd just spent together. The memory of his hands on my body, his lips on mine, and the feel of him buried inside me was vivid. What was startlingly was how I was able to recall my encounters with Ranger much better than I'd ever been able to with Morelli. I didn't know if it was because there been far fewer with Ranger, if it was because he was so spectacular in bed, or if it was a sign of my feelings towards both of them. Morelli had been good, though the sex had generally been rough, dirty, and typically followed the same routine. I never knew what to expect with Ranger. He had the distinct ability to be making love to me while adding a certain level of dirty to it that kept it thrilling. I never knew if he was going to get straight to business or if he'd spend a half hour in foreplay. Ranger gave me everything I needed—however I needed it—and got whatever he needed along the way. Reflecting on it, I realized that the difference between my sexual relationships with both men was that Morelli seemed to give me what he had given every other woman he'd boinked in the past while Ranger seemed to give me something that I suspected he'd never given any other woman, which was saying something since I figured his mattress count probably rivaled Morelli's. Sex was purely physical for Morelli while it was very emotional for Ranger.

As I was driving down Hamilton to get to my parents' house, I rehearsed my explanation of what had happened both with Orin and Morelli. My dad would likely just ignore the whole thing, not wanting to think about me in bed with a man while my mother would be fretting about what everyone would think and the state of my eternal soul. Grandma would probably cheer for me and beg me for details of what Ranger looked like naked and how good the sex was. I saw the flash of police strobe lights and slowed down as I approached them. Two police cars had a black SUV pulled over and one officer was searching the car while another was patting down two men who had their legs spread apart and their hands against the vehicle. I realized with a jolt that it was a Rangeman vehicle and the two men being searched were Rangeman employees named Gus and Pedro. I considered pulling over to see if everything was okay, but Gus caught my eye as I drove past and gave a brief shake of his head.

Right, I should keep moving.

I debated about whether to call Ranger, but decided that I should leave the job of telling their boss that they got pulled over and searched to the men. I briefly wondered if it had anything to do with what had happened with Morelli and Ranger, but immediately dismissed it. Morelli would never do that.

My explanation to my family took three times as long as it should have because we were constantly interrupted by a ringing telephone or a chiming doorbell. Everyone in the Burg had heard, and no one had cared about Orin Carr setting me on fire. It had all been about how I screwed the scary, Latino security guy and broke Joseph Morelli's heart. The once-scourge of the Burg was now a much beloved son who had been wronged. Bella Morelli had word out that she had a curse on me and would be giving me the eye as soon as she could find me. The only people not expressing their opinions and disapproval were Morelli's mother, sister and brothers. They were likely just glad to be rid of me and didn't mind that it came at the expense of Joe's feelings. I'd never been a favorite potential daughter-in-law for Mrs. Morelli. I'd always been the walking disaster that had run over her son and broken his leg. My mother's anxiety became worse with each phone call and by the time I left the house nearly three hours later, she was so drunk that she'd had to go to bed. I had been planning to stay at my parents' house until my apartment was available once again, but given my mother's reaction, I knew I'd better off sleeping at the bus station. I knew I could ask Connie, but what I really wanted was to go home to my place. I needed space and time and privacy to work through my guilt and feelings towards the two men in my life. I dialed Ranger's number on my phone as I pulled out of my parents' drive way and put him on speaker.

"Is there any chance my apartment will be ready any sooner?"

"Not likely. I spoke to the man from the cleaning company a little while ago. The police let them in a few hours earlier than expected, but they still can't get in for the second cleaning until tomorrow morning and they said the apartment needs at least four hours to air out before you can go back in. Are you not planning to stay with your parents tonight?"

"No, I think it's better if I don't. My mother isn't taking the whole 'Stephanie Plum is a heart-breaking slut' gossip very well. I figure it's a little easier if I'm not there."

"You can stay with me again tonight," Ranger said. "Same thing applies as last night: nothing happens unless you want it."

"Thanks. I think I'll do that. I'd stay with Connie, but she's still in the Burg and her neighbors are especially pious."

"You know the drill," Ranger said before he hung up.

I decided to do a little leg work looking for Geoffrey Cubbin to help take my mind off of things. I considered asking Randy Briggs to help me get into the Clinic again, but couldn't quite get my heart into another bumbling B&E at the moment, especially when I was currently at the top of the police department's shit list. As I headed towards Route 1 to go to the complex where the Clinic was located, I saw yet another Rangeman vehicle pulled over. This time, the employees were Tank and Hal. They were standing next to the police cruiser while the cop looked under seats. He probably wasn't brave enough to try to frisk two men twice his size, but he didn't mind searching the car. I caught Tank's eye as I passed and I mouthed the word _sorry. _ Tank gave me a 'shit happens' shrug of his shoulders and went back to watching the cop.

I'd been crouched in the woods watching the Clinic for nearly an hour when movement behind me startled me and I nearly screamed.

"You need to be more aware, babe," Ranger said as he crouched next to me. "I could have been that Yeti you keep talking about."

"I saw him go inside a few minutes ago and he hasn't come out again. I was debating about whether to stay or not. Nothing seems to be happening. Nothing ever seems to be happening here."

But as I spoke, the Clinic's garage door opened and the Yeti pulled out in a white van. He pulled around the cul-de-sac and headed out of the industrial complex.

"Let's follow him," Ranger said, grabbing my hand as we rushed back to the parking lot. We piled into his Turbo and followed the white van north on Route 1 until it pulled into the Sunshine Memorial Park. The gates closed behind the van, barring us access to follow it.

"Sunshine is the last name of the guy who owns the Clinic," I told Ranger as we sat outside the gates. "I wonder if it's the same guy."

Ranger sent a quick text message before driving past the cemetery slowly and pulling onto a gravel access road that ran alongside it. More dense trees lined the access road, almost completely blocking the view of the cemetery. I could see about a hundred matching headstones as I scanned for sight of the van. The road we were on came to an intersection with another access road, which led to an empty field.

"There's the van," Ranger said, pointing into the field. "It's hard to see what they are doing from here. I'm going to park here and get closer. You get in the driver's seat and be prepared to get out of here if they see you."

"But what about you? I'm not going to leave you here."

"I can take them on or lose myself in the woods," he replied. "Get in the driver's seat and keep the doors locked unless you see me coming."

Ranger backed the car into a spot between trees to help shield if from view of the other access road. I walked around the car and climbed into the seat after Ranger vacated it. I watched in the mirrors as he made his way through the trees towards the field until he disappeared from my view. I drummed my fingers on the steering wheel for ten minutes while I waited for something to happen. My heart leapt into my throat as I saw the white van drive back down the other access road back into the cemetery. It didn't stop, so I had a feeling that I hadn't been spotted, but I was worried about Ranger. It was another five minutes before I saw him walking back to the car. I unlocked the doors and prepared to get out of his seat, but he walked around to the passenger side and climbed in.

"It looks like they are disposing of bodies in that back lot. I saw them put two body bags into a grave and refill the hole. There are other areas where the ground was disturbed, so they've been doing this for a while. We need to take this to the police. You may end up finding your FTA in one of those holes. We should take it to Morelli," he said. He handed me his cell phone, where I found several pictures of the Yeti dragging body bags over to an open grave and shoveling the dirt back in the hole. There were also pictures of other disturbed areas and the license plate on the van.

"Do you think that's a good idea? He may not listen to us."

"I think we're likely to get through to him better than if we walked into the police station."

Good point.

"I saw a Rangeman vehicle pulled over twice today. Do you think it's a coincidence?"

"No, they are rallying behind their brother. My men have been pulled over almost every hour of the day since three o'clock yesterday afternoon. But they know to stay clean when they are on the job just in case they are involved with the police. No citations or arrests."

"I can't believe Morelli would do this," I said as I drove down the access road.

"I don't believe he did. I think the uniforms are just showing solidarity. It'll blow over. Right now, it's just annoying."

"Still, I'm sorry this is happening to your men."

"Stephanie, I've always known that going after you while you were in a relationship with Morelli could blow back on me and my company. If I weren't prepared to accept that, I would have done things differently."

It took thirty minutes to get to Morelli's house from the cemetery, during which time someone called Ranger to inform him that the land was owned by the same Franz Sunshine who owned the Clinic. By the time we'd pulled up in front of the house, a new knot had formed in my stomach. I was not eager to knock on Morelli's door with Ranger at my side, but I knew nothing was going to keep him in the car.

We climbed out just as Morelli was coming out the front door. He was dressed in jeans, an untucked t-shirt and a ball cap on his head. He was likely headed out to do something with one of his brothers. When he saw us approaching, he stopped in place and crossed his arms over his chest, not looking happy.

"What?" he asked stonily.

"It looks like the Clinic might be killing people," I said, getting right to the point so that I didn't lose his attention. "We followed them to a cemetery where they were throwing body bags into unmarked graves. Ranger took pictures."

Morelli took Ranger's cell phone from him and scrolled through the pictures. His pissed-off expression disappeared as his cop face took over. "You think Cubbin could be one of them?"

"It's possible. I've always suspected he was at the Clinic at some point. No sign of him would suggest it. And the cemetery is owned by the same guy who owns the Clinic."

"Send the pictures to my phone and I'll use them to get a warrant, since the land is considered private property. I'll send a team out there to start the excavation while I work on rounding up all of the people involved. I'll come by and get your official statements later. Where are you staying?"

Morelli held up a hand before I could open my mouth. "Nevermind. I don't want to know. I'll just call you when I need to get together."

Ranger forwarded the pictures to Morelli's cell phone before setting off back towards his office. I had been about to ask about my car when I saw it parked in the underground garage at Rangeman.

"I need to go to my office, but you can head up to the apartment. You look like you could use a nap."

I nodded. "I'm still exhausted from yesterday. I think I'll do that. I'll let you know if I hear from Morelli."

Ranger got off the elevator on the fifth floor and I fobbed my way up to the seventh floor. I let myself into the apartment and left my shoes and purse at the door, but made sure to grab my cell phone. I left it sitting on the bedside table and laid down on the bed. The first face-to-face with Morelli hadn't gone as badly as it could have, but I'd made sure to immediately mention the dead bodies in an effort to prevent guns being drawn. We still had to give him our official statements, which could be very awkward since he would have to interview Ranger and me separately. I could only pray that they both walked out of the room in one piece.

I had fallen asleep at some point because the next thing I was aware of was Ranger sitting on the bed next to me.

"Morelli called to say he's coming here to take our statements in twenty minutes. They've found at least twelve bodies out in that cemetery, including one that they suspect in Geoffrey Cubbin. And they've hauled in the Yeti, Dr. Fish, Nurse Norma, Abu Darhmal, and Franz Sunshine for questioning. They'll likely all be arrested for murder and various other charges," he told me.

"Morelli told you all of that?"

"No, he just said he'd be here in twenty minutes and to make sure we were in separate conference rooms with the surveillance cameras turned off. I got the rest of the information from listening in on the police channels."

"Please don't do anything stupid when it's just the two of you in that conference room," I pleaded. "I don't want to have to visit you in prison or have to explain why Morelli's dead."

"No one would question why Morelli was dead. But I have no intention of doing anything except giving a statement of what I saw in the cemetery."

I sat up on the side of the bed next to Ranger. "It'll be fine, babe."

I nodded, but didn't say anything. I was also worried about my own interview with Morelli. I didn't want to cry, and I especially didn't want to talk about what had happened. In the back of my mind was a small worry that Morelli might suggest getting back together in the future, but I doubted it. He wouldn't have said we were done for good if he hadn't meant it. And I had meant it when I said I loved Ranger and wanted to be with him.

My thoughts were disrupted by Ranger's cell phone ringing. He checked the display and let out a small sigh before answering it.

"Hello, Mom."

I nearly gave myself whiplash as I turned to look at Ranger. I'd never heard him answer a personal call before. It always surprised me that he had parents and siblings and grandparents. It seemed more likely that he'd been dropped on Earth as an infant when his home planet was under siege.

He listened for a couple of minutes before responding. "I think it's time to give her the chance. She's thirty-seven-years old now."

The response on the other end of the line was apparently not a positive one, as Ranger held the phone away from his ear slightly, which allowed me to hear a woman's voice saying something about someone getting hurt without being watched carefully.

"Why don't you, Dad and Aurelia come down to Trenton on Friday for dinner and we can talk about it," he said after another minute. "I have an idea that I'd like to run by all of you."

He made arrangements for his parents and Aurelia—whoever that was— to come to his apartment for dinner at seven on Friday to listen to his idea, which he told his mother he thought would be able to satisfy everyone involved. He said something in Spanish before he disconnected.

I sat next to him for a moment and debated whether I was allowed to ask him about the phone call. We weren't officially a couple yet, but we were headed that way in the near future. Were almost-girlfriends allowed to ask about parents and women named Aurelia?

"Can you come to dinner on Friday as well?" Ranger asked. "I think I'll need your help in this."

Perfect. Ranger had opened the door, so I was going through it.

"What's going on?"

"My sister Aurelia is four years older than me and has Down Syndrome. She has always lived with my parents, but for the past few years she's been getting more insistent about trying to live on her own. My parents don't think she can do it, nor do the rest of my siblings, but I think she should be given the chance to try. One of my apartments on four just opened up. I'm going to propose that she live there for ninety days to see how well she can do. I can drop in and check on her and make sure she takes her medications. Ella can help her with cleaning, laundry and cooking if she needs it. And I wanted to see if you would help out by trying to be a friend to her, occasionally taking her out to do those female activities that I hate. If she does well, then I'll try to move forward with getting her an apartment away from Rangeman, but close enough that I can easily check on her and be there quickly in an emergency."

As I listened to Ranger talked about his sister, I was again amazed at how little of his personal life I actually knew. He knew everything about me and my family—and likely anyone else close to me—but I didn't have the same advantage. Part of it was annoying, but the other part was exciting. Even though we'd known each other for a few years now, I was still going to get the excitement of learning more about someone with whom I was beginning a new relationship.

"I think that's great," I finally managed to reply. "I'd love to help out in any way I can. It's wonderful that you're going to stand up for your sister like this."

"I owe it to her," Ranger replied as he put an arm around my shoulders. "We were close growing up because we were both the different ones in our family. We didn't play sports or have the top grades. We were both bullied at school and by kids in the neighborhood. But she learned to ignore it and was happy with who she was. I wanted to fit in so badly that I stole a car, which landed me in juvie for six months. I didn't see or talk to her during that time because my parents wouldn't let her come to visit me, even though she was eighteen and allowed to visit the facility. When I was released, my parents informed me that I was going to live in Miami with my grandmother and gave me enough time to go home, grab my things and say goodbye to my siblings. Aurelia had cried and begged my parents not to send me there, then asked to be able to go to Miami to live as well. I'd changed a lot in my six months in juvie—I'd gotten hard and learned to not care about a lot of things. I'd turned into a tough little shit who didn't need his disabled sister fighting for him, and I told her as much."

I watched Ranger's face as he told me the story and was surprised to see the pain on it. He was the master of keeping his emotions in check and it was rare to see him vulnerable. It showed me just how much he regretted the pain he'd caused his sister.

"She was hurt and barely spoke to me during the years I lived in Miami. I would go home at Christmas and for two weeks during the summer, but she would avoid me. I think part of it was because I had hurt her and the rest was from my parents and siblings telling her not to bother me because they didn't want me to hurt her again. But when I finished high school and moved back home to go to Rutgers Newark, we started to work things out. She had gone to school as long as she was legally allowed, so she finished high school the same year I did. She started working in a facility for people with disabilities and earned a little bit of money and learned new skills while I went on to college. I started taking her out every Wednesday night to a movie or dinner or to do something she wanted. It was something that none of our other siblings did with her, so it was special.

But then I joined the Army. When she learned that I was going to be going into the military, she panicked. It was just after 9/11, and we'd had a cousin die trying to save people from one of the Towers. She cried and begged me not to go to war because she didn't want me to die. It was so bad that she started having panic attacks and had to go on medication. Before I left for basic training, she stopped talking to me. She said if she didn't talk to me, then she wouldn't miss me and it wouldn't hurt so much if I got killed. My girlfriend at the time had broken up with me when I told her I had joined the Army, but my sister not wanting to talk to me hurt more than that. And it was only six months after I left home that I got Rachel pregnant, which hurt her even more. She was at home, dealing with my parents' stress over the situation, and it upset her. The first time she saw me after that, which was when I brought Rachel home to meet my family, she yelled at me and said I always made bad choices and screwed up the family. She didn't talk to me again for almost two years. I was in Iraq at that point and had almost been killed in an attack. It was the closest call I'd ever had, and it had terrified me. I called home that day and told my mother to put Aurelia on the phone. Once she had convinced her to talk to me, I told Aurelia that I had almost died that day and the two people who had been in my mind in that moment had been her and Julie. I told her that I couldn't risk my life everyday knowing that she was so angry with me, and that if she wanted me to do it, I would leave the Army and come home. I told her I knew that if I did that I'd probably go to jail, but that I would rather be in jail than to have her hate me for being in the Army and die with that on my conscience. And I meant it. She told me that she loved me, but that she didn't want me to be in jail either. She said if I was happy in the Army, then I should stay, but that I needed to be more careful. And things have been better between us ever since."

Ranger finally glanced in my direction, his expression back to neutral, and gave a small sigh. "Babe."

It took me a few seconds to realize that his reason for the sigh was because there were tears on my cheeks. Hearing him talk about his relationship with her had gotten to me. I quickly wiped them away and sniffed.

"I'm good," I told him. "I'm just fighting the urge to kiss you right now."

Ranger chuckled and pulled me closer to him, his lips only millimeters away from mine. "You don't have to fight it. You can kiss me anytime you like. I won't be fighting it."

I pressed my lips to his briefly before standing up. "I want to keep my head on straight. I have to go face Morelli in a few minutes."

"You'll be fine. You have less to tell him than I do. And I'll be right outside in case you need me to come in and kill him."

"My hero."

_A/N 2: For those who have read my story, "A Matter of Perspective", you are familiar with Ranger's family. His sister Aurelia is clearly a different character in this story, despite the name and birth order being the same. The rest of the family will be the same. I have worked with people with developmental disabilities for the past eight years and it is a group that is underappreciated and not often written about in fiction. I recently started to wonder what it would be like for Ranger to have a sibling with a disability, so I adapted the family I created to include one. I also hope to help people better understand those with developmental disabilities of all kinds as to help push away stereotypes and misunderstandings. I hope you continue to enjoy the story and thanks again for reading!_


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